As I mentioned when I reviewed Splintered by A.G. Howard, I really like Alice in Wonderland remakes. I saw Seeing Redd in my public library a few weeks ago and realized it was the 2nd in the series. *sigh* Of course the library didn't have the 1st book, so I had to request it. On a side note, our public library receives numerous ILL requests from me. I hope there's not a limit on how many I can request them to truck in from their other branches. Anyway, I picked The Looking Glass Wars up on Tuesday and finally got the chance to read it Saturday while I proctored the SAT. I could not put the book down!

Beddor does a very good job of setting up the story. After thinking about it, I don't think I ever read Lewis Carroll's Alice, so I really don't 1) have a base of knowledge of his vision of Wonderland and 2) have any idea why I like these retellings so much. :/

So back to the story. Apparently I'm having a hard time keeping focus today. We open with Alyss in Wonderland on her 7th birthday. In this version of Wonderland, imagination is key to being a good queen. We are introduced to White Imagination (the good, pure kind) and Black Imagination (the bad kind). Alyss simply has to think something and it happens. In the first couple of chapters, Alyss' father, King Nolan is killed, Redd, the ousted princess, crashes the birthday party, Alyss' mother is killed, and Alyss has to escape through the Pool of Tears to save her life. Hatter Madigan is charged with protecting Alyss. Oh, Hatter isn't some mad character. He's a fighting machine. Lewis Carroll got it ALL wrong. And Beddor makes sure we all know that. :-)

In the Pool of Tears, Hatter and Alyss are separated. Alyss is deposited in London and is immediately taken in by a gang of orphans. Hatter is deposited in Paris and is immediately taken in by a gang of angry people and put before a judge. Hatter escapes and roams the world looking for Alyss so he can take her back to Wonderland.

In this version, there is a boy. Dodge Anders. He was Alyss' playmate growing up and is three years older than she is. He tried to protect her when Redd stormed the castle.

There is also the White Rabbit, but he is actually Alyss' tutor and his real name is Babwit Harte. Carroll REALLY messed that one up.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I like that we see how badly Lewis Carroll butchered Wonderland. I think almost every vision of Wonderland since his has been much more grotesque and I like the gritty Wonderland. The only thing I am not a fan of (and this is true in most fantasy YA novels) is how Alyss suddenly becomes empowered and powerful after being timid and unsure for so long. I get that it was always there, just waiting to come out, but maybe a little more of a believable method would be a better way to show her transition.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Wonderland, especially those who liked Splintered and Tim Burton's vision of Wonderland.

I read this book because it's next in the "Let's Talk About It" series at my local public library. The theme is Mad Women in the Attic. The first book was Jane Eyre. Wide Sargasso Sea is supposed to be a prequel to Jane Eyre. There's not way to compare the two. Jane Eyre is good. Wide Sargasso Sea is terrible. How in the world it is considered a classic and Jean Rhys' finest work is far beyond me. Wide Sargasso Sea is supposed to be Bertha's story. Remember Bertha? She was the mad woman in the attic in Jane Eyre. In Rhys' vision of Bertha's life, Bertha is not only named wrong, but was wronged her entire life. Bertha, aka Antoinette, grew up poor after her father died. Until the day Mr. Mason came to town. Wait, let me back up. Antoinette grew up in the Caribbean on an island. She was from one of the few white families there and her ancestors had been slaveowners. The locals hated her family. Her mother was beautiful and proud. And when her husband wronged her, she went crazy and tried to kill him. But "crazy" is relative in this book. It depends on who you ask. Really, that's all I'm going to say about the plot. It sucked. The writing was so confusing I had to read multiple passages multiple times to figure out what exactly was going on, who was involved, and who exactly the characters were. I read the first page three times to try to decipher exactly who Antoinette was talking about. That doesn't bode well for the rest of the book and it held true. My recommendation is to skip this book. It does nothing for Jane Eyre or any of the characters involved.

Book 1 of 2014 for me. Serena. Wow. I try not to read any reviews of the book I am reading until well after I wrote my own, but I wanted to see if others liked this book as much as I do. They do.So there's this guy, Pemberton. That's his last name, but it's what everyone calls him. He is a manager of a plot of land in the NC mountains owned by the Boston Lumber Company in 1929, well after the crash. The area is poor. Very, very poor. And Pemberton is rich. He's also handsome, well built, and tall. Keep that in mind when you see the movie coming out this year. Pemberton has been in this camp for some time and ends up getting a 15 year local girl pregnant. You will love Rachel. She's steadfast and solid and gets more beautiful with age. Enter Serena. To call her a goddess doesn't do her justice. Not only is she gorgeous, she wears pants (scandalous!), she wears her blonde hair in a bob (harlot!), she rides a horse better than any man, she knows more about lumber and logging than any man in the company, she trains an eagle, and she is one of the most single-minded characters I have ever encountered. What Serena wants, Serena gets. Bam. Theme of the book.Read this book. You won't regret it. The movie comes out this year. It will star Jennifer Lawrence as Serena and Bradley Cooper as Pemberton. Now about the author: Ron Rash was born in South Carolina, but grew up in North Carolina. He is currently a professor at Western Carolina University. He's also probably pretty rich now since Serena is being made into a movie. He has some other books, Saints at the River and The Cove, that I have in my library.

This book is required reading for my friend's English 4 class at my school. Several students have asked me if I've read the book. I've had to tell them all no. :( I joked with her they probably just wanted to know how it ended, but I like to think it's because they know I'll have a lively conversation with them about the themes and stuff. So I decided to read this book over Christmas break. I'm overall not a fan of classics, but I appreciate a good story. Jane Eyre didn't disappoint. I cried no fewer than three times in the first few chapters. What a heartbreaking life Jane had as a child! All she wanted was someone to love her. She finally got out of the horrid household she spent her first ten years and was able to go to school, where she flourished. Afterwards, she was hired as a governess at Thornfield Hall. What a perfect fit for her! The book is written in first person, so we know how Jane feels all the time. I love that about this book. There were a few surprises in Jane Eyre. Oh how I rooted for Jane and Mr. Rochester. That's enough about the book. I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't read it. And you should read it if you haven't. If you enjoy romance, a strong heroine, or historical fiction in the least, you will like this book. The language is a bit flowery and I had to really concentrate to figure out what what actually being said. There's a lot of double speak (get the reference? ha ha).Now a teeny bit about the author: Charlotte Bronte was one of five sisters, three of which were authors, and two who died during childhood. She also had a brother. Her mother died of cancer when Charlotte was very young. Please read up on this family. It is fascinating! You may recognize some of the happenings in her life if you read Jane Eyre. Inspiration must come from somewhere.

For those who have read all of my reviews, you may remember I read and reviewed Splintered by A.G. Howard several months (a year?) ago. You may also remember that I loved it. ETA: October 2012I was pleasantly surprised (read ecstatic) to discover this turned into a trilogy. I don't know if Howard originally intended it to be a trilogy, but I am thrilled it is.In Unhinged, we revisit Alyssa not long after she returns from Wonderland. She is happy in her relationship with Jeb. Because, of course, she got the guy. Unfortunately, even though she left Wonderland, Wonderland didn't leave her. Oh, yeah, her mom is out of the loony bin. In Unhinged, Howard delves into more of the history of Alyssa's family and her connection with Wonderland. And WOW is there some history! Make sure you read between the lines and try to connect the dots early on in the book. It makes the conversations much more interesting. Heck, you may want to re-read both books after you figure out the surprise just so you can see how obvious it was. *sigh* I'm not good at connecting the dots, so it was a pretty good jolt. As far as Wonderland, Howard paints a gorgeous, detailed picture of it even more so than in Splintered. I love the "Jabberwocky" interweaving and I think you will, too. I can't remember if Howard included the original poem in this book, but if not, look it up. It's worth it.I will recommend this book, like the first one, to anyone who loves the Alice in Wonderland tales and those who enjoy a little horror with their YA literature. And a little about the author: She's on Goodreads! Go, follow her! Or follow her on Twitter @aghowardwritesOkay, that wasn't much about her, but I have provided ways for you to find out more. :-)

Happy 2014!!! Have you set your Goodreads.com reading challenge yet? I had a bad year for reading last year. I only read 57 books. That is pitiful for a librarian! And for someone who has a book review site. :oops:This year, I pledge to read 84 books. AND to write a review here for each of them. That is my goal, readers, to share my opinions of all the books I read with you. Hopefully you'll read about a book that makes you want to read it and share it with others.The first book I plan to read in 2014 is Serena by Ron Rash. It was rated a Best Adult Book for YA Readers AND is written by a North Carolinian (although he was born in SC, he grew up in NC). He is currently a professor at WCU, where I attended college for 4 years. I think I will start adding short author profiles to my reviews. I really like reading up and coming authors, so I want to do anything I can to help them get a little publicity. See you soon dear readers! I just read Jane Eyre and feel the need to address you all while I'm writing. Look for that review later today or tomorrow. :-)